The arrival of flights from Canada and Russia is expected and work is being done to operate larger aircraft. Although with a slight delay in the runway improvements, the Jardines del Rey International Airport is almost ready for the start of the high season of tourist operations in the Ciego de Ávila hub, scheduled for the month of November.
As Lester Guisán Valdés, General Coordinator of the airport, explained to Invasor, the paving works on the runway are essential to operate larger aircraft (more than 300 passengers) than those currently received by the facility. Above all, the Russian market is interested in using this type of aircraft.
The work shows a slight delay, but in the insurance check-up meeting for the high tourist season, chaired by the highest authorities of the province, it was agreed to work intensely for the remainder of the month and fulfill the commitments. In any case, what remains to be done will not prevent the arrival of airline planes that connect Cayo Coco with the capitals of the issuing countries.
Meanwhile, at the airport, essential actions have been continued to provide a better service, including improvements in air conditioning, the assembly of elevators, the remodeling of stores and money exchange, and the renovation of the VIP lounge. Likewise, there is greater fuel storage capacity and a roofed warehouse was ready for the protection of luggage and specialized equipment.
The airport facility will maintain epidemiological surveillance at the border, for which the staff continues to prepare. This training extends to the procedures required by the airlines, attention to passengers with disabilities and the control questions provided for in the in-depth check protocols.
Guisán Valdés specified that Jardines del Rey has the capacity to operate 50 flights per week. During the low season it continued to receive around twenty weekly arrivals from Canada and operated by Off We Go, Transat, Air Canada and Sunwing airlines.
For the coming high season, an increase in flights from Russia is expected, which had returned to Cuba earlier this month, operated by the Russian airline Nordwind Airlines.
Statements by the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos Granda, confirm the aspiration to close the year with 2.5 million tourists, but, even though from January to August 2022 there was growth in the arrival of visitors compared to the same stage in 2021, the goal seems difficult to meet.
However, according to the data handled in the Avilanian high season check, a high percentage of reservations has been achieved in the 25 accommodation facilities of the Jardines del Rey keys that will open their doors from November.
(With information from the Invasor Newspaper)